When I was 16, I got my first job, as an usher at the local movie theater. My plan was simple: exploit my position and the modest $5.15 minimum wage salary to both pad my budding DVD collection (DVDs were new in 1998), and see as many new movies as possible for free. Mission accomplished. More than half my life later I have a very respectable collection, and STILL get in for free occasionally at that theater. I can honestly estimate that I’ve seen hundreds of movies in the theater. All those experiences were great… well, no… there was Wild Wild West.

But they all pale in comparison to 7:00 pm Sunday night, when I got to sit and watch Jaws on the big screen with my family, and hundreds of adoring fans. The screening was part of the recently announced 40th anniversary screenings.

Jaws, which remains one of the (pun intended) high water benchmarks in the history of Hollywood, and is one of the scariest, sharply written, directed, acted, and not to mention edited films ever created, celebrates its 40th birthday today.

There are so many genres which owe tips of the hat to this film, what it has done to the pop cultural landscape, the standard it has set for the contemporary modern thriller, the blueprint for aquatic water thrillers, not to mention solidifying the career of Steven Spielberg, who made this film just he was creeping into his 30th year. Coupled with the powerhouse acting triad of Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw, and the memorable and now Hollywood folklore two-note heart-stopping theme by John Williams, there isn’t really much left to say about Jaws that hasn’t already been written, scrutinized, dissected, and most importantly, enjoyed by countless generations. But yet, despite all of this, Jaws still has plenty to say in all four corners of what it is and what it remains.

One of the greatest movies of all time, director Steven Spielberg‘s killer shark thriller JAWS, is set to return to theaters around the country in celebration of its 40th anniversary.

The movie will return to theaters courteous of Fathom Events, first on June 21st at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time, and then again on June 24th at the same times. The screenings will also include a special introduction from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz.

As we celebrate America’s birthday today, let’s harken back to a film that remains the classic Summer July 4th picture, the legendary thriller Jaws. Since the summer of 1975, the film has remained a pop culture phenomenon to moviegoers the world over. Like two films in one — the first one on land when the inhabitants of Amity Island are forced to deal with a predator that’s slowly devouring its citizens one by one, to the three men (Chief Brody, Matt Hooper, and salty sea veteran Quint) going out to sea to try and catch the shark singlehandedly — Jaws is an absolute memorable classic of the history of the cinema.

So now, in the film’s chronological order, are 50 of the greatest quotes — highly memorable ones and some obscure ones, but all are benchmarks of the films dialogue and narrative. Some are purposely left out so you can add your favorites below. And “You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat” I’ll put right here, it’s one of the most oft-repeated lines of the film, and was ad-libbed by Roy Scheider. Also the centerpiece of the movie, the Indianapolis Speech, is not here either, as that’s an incredible monologue, and almost impossible to pull a quote from. This list could have been 100 quotes probably, but for that, “I’m gonna need a bigger column.”

One night during a party on the beaches of Amity Island, a New England community primarily known as a summertime destination, a young woman (Susan Backlinie) goes for a nude, moonlit swim in the ocean and is attacked and killed by an unseen force beneath the surface. The next morning her remains wash up on shore and are discovered by Amity police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider). Determining the woman’s death to be a shark attack the chief attempts to close the beaches in order to prevent further casualties, but is stonewalled by the town’s mayor Vaughan (Murray Hamilton), cautious to protect Amity’s reputation with the Fourth of July coming up. Some time later a little boy is eaten by the shark while playing in the water. His distraught mother offers up a sizable bounty to anyone who can kill the shark, bringing carloads of fishermen and hunters to Amity ready to claim the reward.

Marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) also arrives on Amity to assist Brody and based on the bite marks left on the remains of the first victim he believes the shark is a great white, unheard of in the waters off Amity. The beaches remain open despite failed attempts to kill the shark and when the tourists descend on Amity for Independence Day the attacks intensify. With the lives of Amity’s citizens, including Brody’s own family, and the town’s future hanging in the balance, Brody and Hopper team up with local fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw) and head out to sea to confront and destroy the great white. It’s only after they’ve encountered the beast that they realize their enemy has been grossly underestimated. One thing’s for sure: they’re gonna need a bigger boat.

Almost four decades ago a movie about a giant killer shark terrorizing a New England tourist community, a concept ripe for a 1950’s exploitation cheapie that would pack in the crowds at drive-ins all throughout the deep South, came out of nowhere to become the highest-grossing film ever made and the movie that would forever define what an “event movie” could be. It was the first of the modern summer blockbusters and to this day remains one of the best. It’s also one of my absolute favorite movies, one of the few perfect films I’ve ever seen in fact, and now it’s finally about to debut on Blu-ray, which is as good a time for me to invest in a Blu-ray player as any.

Jaws, the landmark Hollywood adventure epic that launched the career of its director Steven Spielberg, will be making its high-definition debut this August. Today, Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced a release date for the new disc and premiered a teaser trailer for the release and a video about the pain-staking restoration work done on the film for its Blu-ray debut. You can check out the videos along with some before-and-after restoration comparison stills here below, along with the Blu-ray box art.

Released back in October 2010 the comic action-thriller RED was a pleasant surprise. Based on a DC Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer and directed by German-born Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife), RED brought together a killer cast (including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Richard Dreyfuss, Karl Urban, and Brian Cox), armed them with cutting quips and heavy artillery, and let them have a paycheck-cashing ball. It was a hoot to see a fun action flick that relied more on old school ass-kicking and witty dialogue rather than CGI fireballs. The movie was also a huge success for distributor Summit Entertainment, grossing over $200 million and making a sequel inevitable.

The digital deal of the day over at Amazon today is Piranha (2010), which is available for rental for only $.99.

This deal is valid only for today, Thursday, March 31, 2011, until midnight PST. Once you activate the rental through Amazon’s Instant Video service, you’ll have access to the movie for 24 hours. If you’re interested in purchasing the digital version, the cost is $14.99.

Also, if you’d like to own a physical copy of Piranha (which was called Piranha 3D in theaters), the Blu-ray is available for $22.99 while the DVD is $18.99. And if you’re set up for 3D home viewing, there’s also a 3D Blu-ray for $26.99.

Back in 1975, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws struck pure fear into the souls of moviegoers, creating a phobia of the ocean in many people who saw it. Obviously over the years we’ve learned through countless nature docs and Shark Week binges that sharks — dangerous as they might be — aren’t quite the man-eating monsters we all thought they were. Even so, the recipe behind Jaws is pretty failproof, and it makes sense for filmmakers to use the same basic foundation for other films.

Enter Piranha, a remake of the 1978 movie of the same name that uses just this very same formula. During Spring Break in the town of Lake Victoria, Arizona, an earthquake opens a giant crack in the bed of the lake, creating entrance to a whole new section that had been locked away for millions of years. Even worse, a breed of prehistoric piranhas have thrived in this underwater tomb all along, and when the earthquake gives them access to the surface once again, they come out in droves seeking blood.

This weekend saw quite a bit of movies released, none of which seemed particularly interesting, but one did pique my interest: Piranha 3D, a reimagining of the 1978 Roger Corman feature Piranha. While the original film was an attempt to hitch a ride on the success of Jaws, this new film is instead riding the wave of the recent 3D phenomenon.

Typically, when I find out a movie is in 3D, it actually makes me NOT want to go see it, as today’s 3D is more for high-definition picture quality, whereas I grew up in a time where 3D meant a harpoon was coming right at your face and that’s the 3D I want. Piranha 3D promised me this ‘gotcha’ 3D.

As far as the film’s subject matter, I must admit I’ve been intrigued by those South America fish with a penchant for flesh ever since thrash metal giants Exodus sang about piranha on their 1985 debut album. Of course, I was probably compelled by the song’s reference to them as “Loki’s children,” trapped in the depths of Hell brought up to one day waste mankind. But I was introduced to these deadly creatures nevertheless and the fascination began.

It helped a lot that Piranha 3D, directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hill Have Eyes remake), boasts a cast of Richard Dreyfess, Elisabeth Shue, and Christopher Lloyd, right there enough to get to me go see the film.

If you’ve seen Piranha 3D, then it’s time for some SPOILER TALK.

Continue reading for my SPOILER-filled thoughts on the movie, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.